Concepts I learned from attending a business conference that you can use as a modern day musician/entrepreneur

Artist tipsFebruary 28, 2019Jonathan Milanes

Blog > Artist tips > Concepts I learned from attending a business conference that you can use as a modern day musician/entrepreneur

“Success usually comes to those who are too busy to be looking for it.”

So there I was; attending an event called ‘Quickbooks Connect’, which at the heart of it was a conference mainly for accountants and small business owners. When I saw the line-up and its schedule, a part of me thought this would be an event I could really learn from, so I took the plunge; and as soon as I entered the room, I was overwhelmed with all these ‘business people’ and their expensive suits. Along with other sponsors of the event that catered to business people (Paypal, Chaser etc), I thought to myself ‘oh Jon, what did you get yourself into now’?

It was overwhelming for sure, and I felt somehow like a fraud at this event. I mean I barely earned over 4 digits from the beginning of the year. And it definitely seemed like I was the youngest there, and my Nike air max’s and Stranger Things hat confirmed it 🙂 But nevertheless, I knew that as a modern day musician, extracting the minds of other businesses was vital for me, as a new entrepreneur and for Soundprise. In fact, the word ‘entrepreneur’ originated from an old french word ‘entreprende’, which means ‘an adventurer/promoter of a theatrical production’. I think I fit the bill.

So here are concepts I’ll share with you as a modern day musician to thrive in your business

Time is relative to YOU

The event started out with Brian Cox, and as odd as that may sound, it was educational and connected to business nonetheless. He talked about how Einstein’s theory of relativity states that time and space are not as constant as everyday life would suggest. At the heart of it, he was saying it was an ‘illusion’. How does that relate to you and me? Well, if you have ever felt like you are late in achieving the goals and dreams you have aimed for, the fact is, the universe does not work on deadlines and man-made timelines. All these time-relative concepts we have of achieving certain goals are at the heart of it, guesstimates of our own internal belief of when we should be at that point in our lives. But who can really decide that? In short, instead of having a timeline of success with a rigid deadline, why don’t you just set the goal and focus on making it happen, without having the sense of time dictate if it should’ve been achieved or not?

In an age of artificial intelligence, automation and digital; your customers AKA fans don’t lose the HUMAN factor

Have you ever been to a site when all of a sudden, a chat bubble pops up and asks if your in need of assistance; only to realize it was nothing but an automated bot that guides you through the site, rather than a personalized assistance to your specific needs? Well, as modern day musician, we need to have the apt ability to know that our fans and audiences are still human. They’re not just numbers/likes/comments that pop-up in our screens; there is an actual human behind those notifications. Now there is a place for automated and AI for sure, but what I got from this lesson is that; the best connection is made when there is a human element to the conversation or platform. So have a think about what does it mean to be human, and show your fans that side of you.

Learn about your industry and where it may lead in the future, then prepare to ADAPT

We all know that the music industry is ever-changing and it’s doing it a fast pace at that, and the ability for you to understand its foundations and its future is vital. The best way to know what the future holds is to look back and see how it has evolved from its beginning; learning how we went from analogue to digital for e.g. Ask yourself how can you prepare and thrive your music and career knowing the changes that are about to come, and see where you stand within its change. I do believe that life is all about the ability to adapt to change, my advice is to not stick to your comfort zone, you will stale and slow down there. Maybe even get left behind, and you wouldn’t want that for your music career I’m sure. Look ahead, my brothers and sisters, the next wave is coming.

Showing your fans that they can TRUST you is the new cool

Every person, product and service you own, comes from a place where trust was portrayed and built; your Iphone, your laptop, your friends etc. But for some reason, it’s the last thing we think about whenever we run our business. Why is that? I personally think it’s because, trust takes work, but even more important, is that it takes time. But if you want to have a long-term and successful music career, the ability for you to build trust with your fans and audience will be as important as the music itself. Here is a concept you’ll need to build that: reliability, credibility, intimacy divided by self-orientation (google the ‘trust equation’).

Conclusion

The first step for me is to actually treat your music and career as a business. Because at the heart of it, it is. It isn’t called the music business for no reason. I learnt this concept the hard-way, and I would like to save you the heart-ache and time. The earlier you understand how business works and how it relates to your music career, the better chance you have of succeeding in it. Don’t get me wrong, the art is still the heart of your every move; but the ability for you to take that component and build an enterprise with it actually helps you in the long run. But it isn’t a race, it’s a marathon.

Thank you for reading the blog, let me know what you thought of it and if you have any feedback or comment 🙂